Alay kay San Ildefonso : Bulak Festival 2018!

I was meant to witness this year's Bulak Festival of San Ildefonso, Bulacan.



That was what I realized when from out of not having any idea that it was already going to happen, I came across a Facebook post saying that it indeed is going to be celebrated this January 22, 2017. I immediately left a private message to the Mayor's FB Page asking about some other details about the celebration but I got no reply - and I understand that they may be very busy for the preparation.

At first, I was having second thoughts about attending the festival because I've got no idea what to expect and what parts of celebration I should witness (given that there is so little information in the internet about it). But the curious part of me prevailed. San Ildefonso, after all, is one of the towns of Bulacan and I have plans to visit and witness all Bulacan festivals. Aside from that, I was really curious at how would a festival with "bulak" or "cotton" as its centerpiece would look like.

Bulak Festival is San Ildefonso's official town festival. Primarily, the festival is celebrated in honor of the town's patron, San Ildefonso but it also gives honor to the "kapok" plant, also known as "bulak" which played a very important part in the town's history. BULAK is actually San Ildefonso's old name when it was still just a barrio under the neighboring town of San Rafael.

I, together with my girlfriend April, arrived in San Ildefonso at exactly 2:00 PM, amidst heavy traffic and scorching sun. Because the cars were not able to move towards the municipal hall anymore, we decided to just walk towards the venue and saw even more people. Fortunately, we arrive at the exact moment the street dance and parade are just going to start. And we started witnessing the fun, lively, and colorful Bulak Festival!

The costumes of the street dancers are awesome and very vivid with colors. It shows the artistry of the San Ildefonso folks as well as their resourcefulness. I had fun taking shots of the street dancers, and mingling with them even under the heat of the sun.  

 

 

Aside from the street dancers, included in the parade are many floats which are equally beautiful and colorful. Each float is decorated with materials primarily made with cotton - some are shaped as vegetables, flowers, wings, and as vestments of an image of San Ildefonso.

I definitely enjoyed taking part in this years Bulak Festival. Not only because of the street dancers but also because of the reveling audience! The national highway is thick with people watching the parade and I felt the excitement and happiness emanating from the crowd. 

The only problem I have is a major one though : transportation. The traffic was brought to a stand still that many people who watched the parade cannot go home, even if they want to. It was harder for visitors without their own car like me because no public transportation is available, given that the place where it all happened was a national highway. I was already waiting for a ride home at 5:00 PM but I was only able to ride a jeep going to San Miguel at 7:45 PM. 

It was an adventure as well as a misadventure, but the fact remains that the festival itself impressed me much, though not to the point that I will be back next year to witness it again against all odds, unless the transportation problem is solved. :)